PIAS Entertainment Group
Encyclopedia
PIAS is an international licensing, distribution, sales and marketing company for premium music, film and comedy.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the group also has significant operations in the UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Ireland.
The Group was founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot who are still the co-presidents of the Group.
In June 1982 the store “Casablanca Moon” was closed down and they made plans to start an import company named “Play It Again Sam”.
Play It Again Sam started importing from the UK in October 1982 and were based in the basement of in Kenny's parents' house in Brussels, Belgium. Michel and Kenny were then respectively 21 and 19 years old.
The company was incorporated in March 1983 with a starting capital of €5000 and the strategy rapidly became to be a “distributor” rather than an importer / wholesaler; that meant offering a full range of services to labels i.e. promotion and marketing.
It is around that time that Philippe Saussus joined the company to become its accountant leaving his banking job. In 1984 they started signing up our own acts and released a string of obscure local and international artists on [PIAS] Recordings
.
Belgium was a central location to Europe and their ambition and long term goal was to reproduce the “[PIAS] touch” abroad in order to become a pan European label and service company.
They started up a distribution company in the UK in 1988; in the Netherlands in 1989, in France in 1994, in Germany in 1998 and in Spain in 2001. [PIAS] Recordings
(including Different Recordings
, F Communications & Wall of Sound
is distributed in 16 countries, including Japan, US and Australia. [PIAS] is distributed by Fontana
in the U.S.A.
, a Sony DADC
warehouse in the London Borough of Enfield
which also acted as PIAS' primary distribution center was destroyed by fire. Most of PIAS' inventory was considered lost including records from the over 100 British independent labels which PIAS distributes. Several album and single releases were affected by the fire, including the Arctic Monkeys
single "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
", the Battles
single "My Machines" and the Charlie Simpson
album Young Pilgrim
. The total stock loss was reported to be between 3.5 million and 25 million units.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the group also has significant operations in the UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Ireland.
The Group was founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot who are still the co-presidents of the Group.
History
Michel Lambot and Kenny Gates met circa September 1981 at Michel’s record store then called “Casablanca Moon”, exclusively selling records from independent labels and they quickly became friends.In June 1982 the store “Casablanca Moon” was closed down and they made plans to start an import company named “Play It Again Sam”.
Play It Again Sam started importing from the UK in October 1982 and were based in the basement of in Kenny's parents' house in Brussels, Belgium. Michel and Kenny were then respectively 21 and 19 years old.
The company was incorporated in March 1983 with a starting capital of €5000 and the strategy rapidly became to be a “distributor” rather than an importer / wholesaler; that meant offering a full range of services to labels i.e. promotion and marketing.
It is around that time that Philippe Saussus joined the company to become its accountant leaving his banking job. In 1984 they started signing up our own acts and released a string of obscure local and international artists on [PIAS] Recordings
PIAS Recordings
[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
.
Belgium was a central location to Europe and their ambition and long term goal was to reproduce the “[PIAS] touch” abroad in order to become a pan European label and service company.
They started up a distribution company in the UK in 1988; in the Netherlands in 1989, in France in 1994, in Germany in 1998 and in Spain in 2001. [PIAS] Recordings
PIAS Recordings
[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
(including Different Recordings
Different Recordings
Different Recordings is an electronic music label owned by the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a Europen independent music company. The label was launched during the emergence of the French house scene and over the years has represented a broad range of electronic music with releases by artists such as...
, F Communications & Wall of Sound
Wall of Sound (record label)
Wall of Sound is an independent record label based in London, England. It is part of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent music company....
is distributed in 16 countries, including Japan, US and Australia. [PIAS] is distributed by Fontana
Fontana Distribution
Fontana Distribution is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that was launched in 2004, which deals in distribution, as well as in a range of sales, marketing, and back office support services, for a diverse roster of independent record labels and their artists. The company takes its name and logo...
in the U.S.A.
2011 Warehouse Fire
On 8 August 2011, during the 2011 England Riots2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
, a Sony DADC
Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation
Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation is a manufacturer of Compact Discs, DVDs, UMDs, and Blu-ray Discs. The company has many plants worldwide...
warehouse in the London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
which also acted as PIAS' primary distribution center was destroyed by fire. Most of PIAS' inventory was considered lost including records from the over 100 British independent labels which PIAS distributes. Several album and single releases were affected by the fire, including the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
single "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was intended to be released as a 7" vinyl on 15 August 2011....
", the Battles
Battles (band)
Battles is an American experimental rock group, founded in 2002 in New York City, comprising guitarists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka , and drummer John Stanier .-Biography:...
single "My Machines" and the Charlie Simpson
Charlie Simpson
Charles Robert Simpson , is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was the youngest member of multi BRIT Award-winning band Busted, and is the lead vocalist, guitarist and co-lyricist in alternative rock band Fightstar...
album Young Pilgrim
Young Pilgrim
Young Pilgrim is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Charlie Simpson. The album was produced by Danton Supple and was released on 15 August 2011 through independent label PIAS Recordings....
. The total stock loss was reported to be between 3.5 million and 25 million units.
Distributed Labels
PIAS Entertainment group distributes over 100 independent labels in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the following:- 4AD4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
- Absynthe MindedAbsynthe MindedAbsynthe Minded is a Belgian rock band, around frontman, vocalist and guitarist Bert Ostyn. Their tracks have been known to contain a mix of thirties jazz, with a touch of funky soul, Balkan beats and Merseyside pop....
- Angular Recording Co.Angular Recording CorporationAngular Recording Corporation is an independent record label originally based in New Cross, South East London. Set up in June 2003 by two ex-Goldsmiths College students, Joe Daniel and Joe Margetts, who reclaimed a local Ordnance Survey Triangulation Station and made it their first artefact: ARC 001...
- Asthmatic KittyAsthmatic KittyAsthmatic Kitty is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan led by musician Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local colleges and universities...
- Beggars Banquet RecordsBeggars Banquet RecordsBeggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
- Big Brother RecordingsBig Brother RecordingsBig Brother Recordings Ltd. is a record label set up in 2000 to release material by rock band Oasis in the UK and Ireland through independent distributor [PIAS] UK . On June 19, 2008 a deal was signed with Sony BMG which entitled them to an arranged portion of the profits from the next three Oasis...
- Bloody Chamber MusicBloody Chamber MusicBloody Chamber Music is an independent record label founded by English singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf. "Bloody Chamber" refers to the heart.Wolf originally started the label as somewhere to store his digital back-catalogue of music...
- Brownswood RecordingsBrownswood RecordingsBrownswood Recordings is a London-based independent record label launched in 2006 by DJ Gilles Peterson.-Artists include:* Ben Westbeech.* The Heritage Orchestra.* Soil & "Pimp" Sessions.* José James.* Gilles Peterson.* Elan Mehler.* Ghostpoet....
- Chemikal UndergroundChemikal UndergroundChemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....
- Dance to the RadioDance to the radioDance To The Radio is an independent record label co-founded by Whiskas of Les Flames and ¡Forward, Russia! in 2004.It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song "Transmission"...
- Dead OceansDead OceansDead Oceans is an independent record label based jointly in Bloomington, Indiana and Austin, Texas. The label has a small, but powerful roster of well-known acts including Akron/Family, John Vanderslice, Califone, Phosphorescent, Bishop Allen, Casey Dienel's band White Hinterland, Bowerbirds, and...
- Domino Records
- Drag CityDrag City (record label)Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
- Drive-Thru RecordsDrive-Thru RecordsDrive-Thru Records, established in 1996, was a California-based record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. It has produced various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound....
- Drowned in SoundDrowned in SoundDrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
- Duophonic RecordsDuophonic RecordsDuophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks Limited, known as Duophonic Super 45s, is a London based independent record label formed by the British pop group Stereolab...
- FatCat Records
- Full Time HobbyFull Time HobbyFull Time Hobbyis an independent record label formed in London in January 2004. Since its inception it has released records by artists such as White Denim, Tunng and Malcolm Middleton.-History:...
- G-Unit RecordsG-Unit RecordsG-Unit Records is an American record label, specializing in hip hop music, founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent and his manager Sha Money XL. Upon its inception, it operated as a subsidiary of, and was distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records...
- Hardly ArtHardly ArtHardly Art is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in early 2007 by Sub Pop Records, Hardly Art is run by two full-time employees and is distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance and Sub Pop...
- JagjaguwarJagjaguwarJagjaguwar is an indie rock record label based in Bloomington, Indiana.-History:In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, friends of Darius Van Arman who performed in a band under the moniker The Curious Digit had just recorded a new album, but they were signed to no label...
- Independiente
- Infectious RecordsInfectious RecordsInfectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
- Kitchenware RecordsKitchenware RecordsKitchenware Records is an independent record label based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. It was founded in 1982 by Keith Armstrong and Phil Mitchell, and was originally part of The Soul Kitchen, an artist collective and nightclub...
- Kitsune Records
- Lovepump United RecordsLovepump United RecordsLovepump United is an independent record label founded in 2004 by then - Vassar College students Jake Friedman and Mookie Singerman in Poughkeepsie, New York. The label is currently based in New York City. Friedman and Singerman were the only members of a duo Glitter Pals whose EP was Lovepump's...
- Matador RecordsMatador RecordsMatador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
- Memphis IndustriesMemphis IndustriesMemphis Industries is a British independent record label.Memphis Industries was established as a record label in 1998 by the brothers Ollie and Matt Jacob with the first release being Blue States' Forever EP...
- Ninja TuneNinja TuneNinja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
- One Little Indian
- Play It Again SamPlay It Again SamPlay It Again Sam is an independent record label based in London and owned by the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, one of Europe's biggest independent music companies.The label was founded in 1983 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot....
- Polyvinyl Records
- Rock Action RecordsRock Action RecordsRock Action Records is a Glasgow-based record label, founded and maintained by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. The label has showcased such diverse talents as Part Chimp, Errors, Trout, The James Orr Complex and Kling Klang, has licensed music for UK release from Torche, Envy, Afrirampo and...
- Rough Trade RecordsRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
- Secretly CanadianSecretly CanadianSecretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...
- SideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy RecordsSideOneDummy Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label whose roster focuses mostly on punk and related genres. Founded in 1995 by Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, who continue to run it today, the label has built a reputation for its diverse roster of artists ranging from third wave ska...
- Southern Fried RecordsSouthern Fried RecordsSouthern Fried Records is a London-based independent electronic dance music record label founded and owned by Norman Cook, better known by his stage name, Fatboy Slim...
- Sub PopSub PopSub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
- Suicide Squeeze RecordsSuicide Squeeze RecordsSuicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, WA - based independent record label that presses a significant number of 7" vinyl singles in addition to the more prevalent compact discs. The label was started in August 1996 with the release of a 7" single from 764-Hero. The label quickly grew from owner...
- Thrill JockeyThrill JockeyThrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...
- Too PureToo PureToo Pure is a London-based independent record label that was formed in 1990 by Richard Roberts and Paul Cox.-History:Too Pure started off as a small experimental label and had built their reputation by releasing primarily alternative/independent music which they felt was being ignored by the major...
- Touch & Go Records
- True Panther SoundsTrue Panther SoundsTrue Panther Sounds is a New York City-based record label run by Dean Bein, and owned by Matador Records. Artists released by the label represent many genres and include notable bands such as Girls, Lemonade, Hunx and His Punx, and Glasser.-About:...
- Victory RecordsVictory RecordsVictory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
- Warp RecordsWarp RecordsWarp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
- Wiija
- XL RecordingsXL RecordingsXL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
- Young TurksYoung Turks (record label)Young Turks is a British independent record label which was launched by Caius Pawson with XL Recordings in 2006. The label has grown into a successful and influential independent record label...
See also
- [PIAS] RecordingsPIAS Recordings[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
- Play It Again SamPlay It Again SamPlay It Again Sam is an independent record label based in London and owned by the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, one of Europe's biggest independent music companies.The label was founded in 1983 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot....
- Wall of SoundWall of Sound (record label)Wall of Sound is an independent record label based in London, England. It is part of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent music company....
- Different RecordingsDifferent RecordingsDifferent Recordings is an electronic music label owned by the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a Europen independent music company. The label was launched during the emergence of the French house scene and over the years has represented a broad range of electronic music with releases by artists such as...